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The Ukrainian pianist, Alexander Romanovsky, had appeared already by the age of 11 several times with Moscow Virtuosi under Vladimir Spivakov in Russia, Ukraine, the Baltic States and in France. His piano teacher was Leonid Margaruis, a pupil of Regina Horowitz, who was the sister of pianist Vladimir Horowitz. When Romanovsky was 13, Margaruis moved to Italy to teach at the Accademica pianistica di Imola; Romanovsky followed him there to continue his studies with him. He graduated from the Accademia in 2007 with a master’s degree. In 2008 he received his “Artist’s Diploma” on completing his studies at the Royal College of Music in London (class of Dmitri Alexeev). In 1999, at the age of 15, he was awarded the title of Honorary Academician of the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna for his performance of J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations (BWV 988). Previously only W.A. Mozart and Rossini had received this title at this age. In 2001, at the age of 17, he drew international attention with his victory at the prestigious Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Bolzano.
Subsequent years have seen numerous concerts at venues in countries throughout Europe as well as Japan, Hong Kong and the USA. In 2007 he was invited to perform a W.A. Mozart concerto before Pope Benedict XVI. Described by Carlo Maria Giulini as ‘extraordinarily gifted’, Alexander Romanovsky is a riveting, individual and subtle performer with an utterly engaging voice. He has been invited to major European festivals and venues including La Roque d'Anthéron in France, the Klavier-Festival Ruhr in Germany and Chopin Piano Festival in Poland, and is a frequent guest of the International Piano Festival Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli in Brescia and Bergamo, Italy. He has performed with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and toured as soloist with Vladimir Spivakov performing in Kiev, the Baltic States and France. In 2009 he was selected for representation by Young Concert Artists Trust in London. Since moving to Italy in 1997, he has appeared in venues in Turin, Bologna, Naples, Teatro della Pergola in Florence, Palermo, the Auditorio Verdi and Teatro dal Verme in Milan and the Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome. Further afield, he has given concerts in the USA and Japan.
Alexander Romanovsky's engagements in recent seasons have included appearances as soloist with the Mariinsky Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev at the Mariinsky Concert Hall in St. Petersburg, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Christopher Warren-Green at the Barbican in London, with the Russian National Orchestra and Mikhail Pletnev at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall in Moscow, and the debut with the English Chamber Orchestra and Paul Watkins. He has given recitals at the Wigmore Hall, the Busoni (Italy), Como (Italy), Colmar (France) and East Neuk (Scotland) Festivals and in Palermo and Bologna. He has further appeared as soloist with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker and National Philharmonic of Russia.
Last season’s (2009-2010) highlights included a return to Wigmore Hall and recitals at the White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, the Busoni (Italy), Colmar (France) and East Neuk (Scotland) Festivals. This season (2010-2011) he is invited to the Ravinia Festival with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and James Conlon and the Vail Valley Music Festival with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and Alan Gilbert. He also performs again with the National Philharmonic of Russia and Vladimir Spivakov and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Future concerts include a return visit to the Auditorio Verdi Milan and a recital at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw.
In 2007 Alexander Romanovsky signed a contract with the recording company Decca, which produced his first CD of works by Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms, and in 2009 his second album was released, dedicated exclusively to Sergei Rachmaninov. Anthony Tommasini from the New York Times has defined it as a remarkable achievement and commended the pianist as ‘special, not just an extraordinary technician with a flair for color and fantasy, but also a sensitive musician and lucid interpreter.’. He recently recorded the Glazunov Concerti Nos.1 and 2 with the Russian National Orchestra conducted by José Serebrier for Warner and L.v. Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations for Decca. |
